From the archives of the Hindustan Times: August 19

Maulana Azad’s stress on technical education (1951)

Kharagpur- Maulana Azad gave an assurance that the Government would continue to take a deep interest in the advancement of technical education in the country.

The Education Minister, opening the Indian Institute of Technology here today (August 18), said the main function of the institute would be to provide facilities for training high grade engineers and technologists. The institution would have provision for the teaching of 2,000 students at the under-graduate level, and 1,000 students for post-graduate study and research.

The institution, he added, was beginning with only a little over 200 under-graduates and a few research students, but he could visualize the day when its potentialities would be fully realized.

Maulana Azad said the policy of the Government was to so improve the facilities for higher technical education in the country that they could themselves meet most of their needs. They had, therefore, decided that facilities in different subjects would be made available at the institute only when the Government was satisfied that properly qualified and experienced personnel had been secured to run the courses and that the industrial and technical development of the country needed the provision of such courses.

He said the Government had already before them a scheme for establishing four institutions of the standard of the Massachussets Institute of Technology. A scheme, costing Rs 1.5 crores, had also been sanctioned for strengthening and improving the 14 engineering and technological institutions situated in the different parts of the country and it was in the third year of its operation.

Anita Sood sets Asian record (1987)

Bombay- Twenty- two-year-old Anita Sood has set an Asian record in swimming the English Channel.

Anita took eight hours and 15 minutes yesterday (August 17) to swim from Dover (England) to Calais (France), a distance of 20 nautical miles, according to information reaching here.

This was the fourth fastest time in the world and the best timing of Asia in the history of the Channel swimming by men and women combined.

The previous Asian record (eight hours and 42 minutes) was held by Bijoy Jain, who swam the Channel two years ago.

In Italy, Anita had braved choppy seas last month to finish third among women in the World marathon swimming event in 8 hours and 5 minutes, which was better than the earlier world record for the 22 nautical miles distance.

That effort took its toll in the form of a shoulder injury which prevented Anita from training at a stretch in England for the Channel swim.

Bolt zooms to sublime heights (2013)

Moscow- Usain Bolt, already enshrined as one of the greatest Olympians of all time, became the most successful athlete in world championship history when he anchored Jamaica to victory in the 4x100 metres relay on Sunday (August 18).

Bolt followed up the 100 and 200m double with his third gold in the final event, taking his all-time tally to eight. That matches American trio Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and Allyson Felix but the Jamaican moved ahead by virtue of his two silvers from 2007.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also completed the hat-trick as Jamaica won the women’s 4x100 relay in the second-fastest time ever, giving them all six sprint gold in Moscow to bring a smile back to the Caribbean island following the doping cloud surrounding the buildup to Moscow.

On a high-quality final day, there was a Kenyan middledistance double as Asbel Kiprop retained his 1,500 metres title and Eunice Sum took a surprise gold in the women’s 800.

Frenchman Teddy Tamgho delivered the third-longest leap in history as he soared 18.04

metres to win the triple jump and Christina Obergfoell’s javelin victory gave Germany their fourth field event gold.

Traditionally athletics programmes ended with the 4x400m relay but such is Bolt’s worldwide selling power that recent events have been rejigged to ensure the Jamaican gets top billing. Jamaica were pipped by Britain in the heats but the favourites drafted in Bolt and Nickel Ashmeade, while the U.S., unusually, used the same four in their evening heat as in the final.